The Curse that was Broken
by Lina Cross
Summary: This is a short version of an alternate plot for Twilight. It's shorter, simpler, and a little more innocent than the original series, and I like to think of it as having a sort of fairy-tale quality. Bella and Edward are both painfully shy, but become close when Edward finds that it's only with her that he no longer feels like a monster,


**This was not written to bash the series. This is not a parody, and is in no way opinionated. I know there are people who like Twilight, and there are people who don't like it. I myself fall into the latter category. There was something about the overall story that bothered me, and I can't exactly explain what it was. So I came up with my own version, something that I thought would have been a more interesting plotline. I didn't have the time or desire to write it all out, so I wrote it in a short, fairy tale form. I don't think it was the best decision to write from Bella's point of view, so I did third person that pulled heavily from Edward's views. I also skipped things and combined parts from all four books into one story, because I think one book is all that would be needed for this.**

Long description is long. Anyway, I hope you like it, and know that this was, in no way, meant to make fun of anyone or anything. To each his own, and this was mine.

Twilight belongs to Stephanie Meyer 

**. . .**

Once upon a time, in the land of Forks, there was a family. Each member of this family was beautiful. The eldest, the father, was a generous and kind doctor named Carlisle. His only goal in life was to help others to the very best of his considerable ability. The next eldest was the mother, Esme. She was beautiful and gentile, with soft golden eyes and a sweet disposition. To care for her family was her only wish. This family also had five children. Emmett was the tallest and strongest, with laughter that would echo through the house. He loved the fair beauty Rosalie. She was easily the prettiest of the children, though she was not so kind as the others. Her vanity was her only vice. Then there was Jasper, a serious yet understanding boy who could read the emotions of those around him. He loved, and was loved in return, by the smallest child, Alice. She was positive, graceful, and wise, with the ability to predict future events.

The last of the children was Edward, the one with the capability to read another's mind. Out of the seven, he was the most lonely, for he had no lover. As well, he hated himself, and saw himself as a monster and a beast.

For this family was a family of vampires. The others had found comfort from this in one another, but while Edward was part of the family, he had no one to truly share his sorrow with, or to help alleviate the pain. For vampires were never intended to be righteous creatures. Every one had their own punishment for being so cursed, and this punishment was either borne alone, or shared, but never erased. It was this fact Edward understood better than all the others, for what cure could there be for the dead?

These vampiric children attended the local high school in Forks, though they did so quietly, and without much fanfare. They always sat at the same table for lunch, never once disturbed by the surrounding mortals. Others feared them, for they knew not what this quiet, mysterious family was. And well they should, for danger would surely come, had they chosen to meddle with this coven of vampires. Perhaps not intentionally, but as I've said before, they each bore their own curse.

One day, however, someone new attended this school. Edward noticed her instantly, for her scent overpowered that of the others. So sweet, so wonderful, so _alive_. He resisted the sudden urge to act on his instincts, but instead watched her from the corner of his eye.

She was utterly beautiful. Her soft, brown hair hung over her shoulders in gentle waves, curtaining off some of her face. She was small, though she made herself look smaller by keeping her limbs as close to her body as possible. It was obvious how shy she was, for she hardly spoke, and when she did, he could not hear her for how quiet she was. Then she turned her head slightly to gaze around the lunch room, and that was when he truly saw her, for her eyes were then revealed. Eyes that were brown like sweet chocolate, that were framed by thick, dark lashes. Eyes that were sparkling windows to a soul like a candle in a dark room. For that instant, he forgot his yearning for blood. He forgot that he was dead, and he forgot, for the most blissful of moments, that he was cursed. For when her eyes found him, his heart warmed in a way that should not have been possible. The weight of this feeling was so much that he began to ache, wishing with all his might that he could talk to her, to know her. For she made him feel like no one else had in over seventy years. She made him feel alive.

She turned away, looking uncomfortable with his heated gaze. This embarrassed him, so he turned back as well, though her image was burned into his mind.

Later in the day, he was seated in his Biology class when the new girl entered. He experienced a moment of terror when he realized the only open seat was right beside himself. The panic rose when she sat next to him, and immediately let her hair fall over her shoulder so he was unable to see her face. He couldn't keep his eyes off her, even then.

But she was brilliant as well as beautiful. The day's lesson came easily to her, and they'd both wrapped up the project long before everyone else. He saw this as a gift and a drawback. This gave him an opportunity to talk to her, but at the same time, now her scent was harder to forget than ever.

Finally, after a moment in which both shifted in a painfully shy way, he spoke up and introduced himself. "I'm Edward Cullen."

"Bella Swan." she answered quietly.

His dead heart hammered. Her voice was soft and sweet, like her eyes. This girl seated beside him, who smelled so wonderful he could have described it as gold, was absolutely flawless. Even now, he regretted the fact that she had been made to sit by him, and yet relished in this. Bella. Even the name was perfectly musical.

Little did he know that Bella was thinking along these same lines. To her, this Edward creature was just as beautiful. His pale skin, perfect hair, and golden eyes. That odd, half smile that was strange yet endearing. The oh-so-slight tremble in his voice that proved he was just as scared to talk to her as she was to him. But he was a mystery to her. Who was he? Why was he so different? And why did he feel... dangerous?

Despite these things, the two struck up a tenuous, unique friendship. Over the months, Edward was entirely careful in his actions. He would do his best to seem as normal to her as possible, but it was clear she suspected something. His curse came into play quite often, with the inherent bad luck that came with walking the earth in a body that should never have been seen again. Bella would be put in dangerous situations, which she claimed were a side effect of her clumsiness (and which he found the answer incredibly inaccurate), yet he was always there to rescue her. She'd become his damsel in distress, and he had unintentionally become her knight in shining armor.

But happiness was never meant to last for a demon. There came a day when he could hide no longer, when they both would have to face the truth of who he was. He took her for a walk deep in the forest, hoping that the nature which served to calm his mind so often would ease the situation for him. He was startled, yet at the same time unsurprised, when he found that she already knew.

"Vampire." she said quietly, looking at him with those glittering, chocolate brown eyes.

"Yes." he responded sadly. "And I'm sorry."

She breathed deeply, looking off into the trees, biting her lip. "I know I should be afraid... And I think the most terrifying part is that I'm not."

He looked at her, seeing more than he had months ago in that first glimpse. Now, he saw who she truly was. She was gentle and kind as Esme, ridiculously understanding of his own shyness and fear. She wanted to help him as much as Carlisle wanted to help his patients. She could always tell just what he was feeling, like Jasper, and could put a positive light on a situation, like Alice. Her face was as pretty as Rosalie, and she could also be as strong as Emmett, though in an entirely different way. She could survive being friends with Edward Cullen, and that was indeed a feat worthy of mention. Yes, Bella Swan was everything he needed, as his family was. What set her apart, what made her different from them and made him feel less lonely, was that she was completely and utterly human. She had a soul.

No, Bella did not fear him. She continued to spend her time with him, which did surprise him. He felt happier, lighter, now that he was able to speak openly with her. He told her everything; his life, his death, his family, what had happened in the seventy years since he became a vampire. She seemed most interested in his curse, convinced that there was something in the world that could break it. Her mind lived in a fairy tale, and a fairy tale curse was always breakable.

Perhaps that was his mistake. Explaining these things to her possibly confused her even more. Whatever the reason, he should never have told her about the Volturi. They were the governing body of the vampires, the ones who created the undead laws and codes. She seemed as interested in them as she was in the curse, and one day, without having said anything, she left.

Now Edward was afraid. What was she doing? Where was she, and, most importantly, would she ever come back? His family knew nothing, so he decided to ask her father where she had gone. His damsel was missing, and it was his duty to find her, to bring her back. Bella's father replied that she had gone to Italy.

This struck fear into the boy's silent heart. The Volturi were located in Italy. If they discovered a mortal knew about the secret existence of the vampires, there would be consequences. He was determined to bring her back.

Because Edward loved Bella. He had never told her so, but he loved her with all of his being. She was the only thing that made him forget about being dead or cursed, or being a monster. If she died... He couldn't even imagine what might come of that. He was already doomed to suffer for eternity. He couldn't die. How on earth would he deal with that sort of pain? Maybe this was his curse again. The one ray of true light he had would be taken away, because happiness was not allowed. He must have been the unluckiest man on the planet.

"No, not unlucky," she had said once. "I think it's the opposite. You say it's bad luck that I was almost killed by a car. I say it was good luck that you were able to stop it in time. And I think it was good that you managed to meet your family, even though you were turned a vampire. Or maybe it isn't luck at all. Everything simply balances out better for you."

What could balance out losing her? What could be so good that it would be equal to the pain it would cause? He didn't want to know, and so he went to Italy, to rescue the only thing that made him feel not so very alone.

But when Edward arrived to the Volturi's place of power, he already knew he was too late. A ceremony was taking place, with torches lit, and the floor covered in symbols and circles. Bella stepped into the circle, her head covered by the hood of a cloak red as blood. The Volturi stood around her, dressed in black, chanting and hidden in the shadows so that the focus of the ritual was on the human, and the human alone. Edward ran forth, pulling her into his arms and questioning why, why would she do something like this? Surely, they were going to kill her.

She looked up at him with those chocolate eyes. He could see her fear and sadness, but he also saw her steady resolve. "I am accepting your punishment." she said in her quiet way.

His brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean? You can't."

"You were cursed with eternal damnation because you cheated death. But you are kind, and so is your family. You don't deserve this. I spoke with the Volturi, and they have agreed to let me take the punishment, to free you."

"But why?"

She took the deepest of breaths, because this would probably be the last one she'd ever enjoy. "Because I love you, Edward."

It was then that something very incredible happened. A light seemed to glow from the two beings in the center of the circle, as though a greater power had entered the room. The next thing Edward knew, he and Bella had collapsed to the floor, and they both were trying to hold the other upright.

He felt very strange. Whole, somehow, and a warmth like he hadn't experienced in a lifetime spread through his body. Bella reached out a hand to touch his face, a shocked smile on her lips. "Your eyes are green." she whispered, so softly.

The Volturi were stunned. This boy before him had been freed from his curse before their very eyes, and yet the girl remained human, fully intact. Unbeknownst to them, six other vampires had been changed as well, blood flowing in their veins for the first time in a century, some of them more so.

The reason was this: Because damned beings such as they could be loved, loved so purely and wholly by a human with a soul, they were granted a second chance. A girl was willing to give her life so they might be free, and for someone to be worthy of such a love, they couldn't possibly be as monstrous as all that.

And so Edward, Bella, and the rest of the Cullens lived happily ever after. And when they were done with that, they finally laid down for a deep and eternal rest.

The End.


End file.
